Watershed
"The geographic area from which water in a particular stream, lake
or estuary originates. All lands in the watershed drain toward the stream, lake
or bay and contribute pollutants to these waters"

The City of Clearwater
and the South West
Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) have identified areas of
flood and water quality concerns in the Stevenson Creek Watershed. These
areas were visited during a field trip conducted by City staff.
Here are some of the areas of concerns which this study will address:

The Stevenson Creek
Watershed Management Plan project is a cooperatively funded program
between the City of Clearwater and the District's Pinellas-Anclote River
Basin Board.

The Stevenson Creek
Watershed discharges to Clearwater Harbor, an Outstanding Florida Water
Body and State Aquatic Preserve. The watershed has a history of flooding
problems and water quality concerns
regarding sediment deposits in the harbor
and areas upstream. The proposed watershed management plan is a
multi-phase stormwater management project that addresses both flood
protection and water quality issues.

Intersection of Browning Street and Hillcrest Avenue

This first phase will
collect data, evaluate the watershed, identify flood-prone areas and
water quality problems, and evaluate potential
solutions. Identification of erosion areas and evaluation of erosion
control methods will be a major element of the project.

Future phases will
include the design, permitting, land acquisition and construction
of solutions to identify stormwater management problems. Benefits
to Clearwater Harbor will be reduced sediment and pollutant loads.The
City and the District'sPinellas-Anclote
River Basin Board will share the costs of the $599,000 first
phase.

Terry M. England, of
Indian Rocks Beach, is secretary/treasurer of England Brothers
Construction Co., Inc. He was originally appointed in August 1999.
His term will end March 1, 2003.

Rodney S. Fischer, of
Palm Harbor, is executive director of Contractors & Builders
Association. He was originally appointed in August 1999. His term
will end March 1, 2003.

The Pinellas-Anclote
River Basin Board covers portions of Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Nuisance vegetation on Lynn Lake

Possible stormwater management area

Glen Oaks golf course

Areas
that flood naturally provide a host of water management functions that
have only been recognized in recent years. These benefits include water
storage, which helps limit flooding in other areas, and improvements in
water quality by naturally filtering water to reduce pollutants. They
also serve as important natural habitats.

Flood protection
can be accomplished in two ways  structurally or non-structurally.
Traditionally, people have opted for a structural approach. However,
modern methods favor non-structural methods.

The structural approach
involves building ditches, canals, dams and control structures to ensure
that formerly flood-prone areas are reasonably safe from flooding. This
is often a long, costly process with significant environmental impacts,
including changing, and sometimes destroying, natural aquatic and
land-based habitats.

Storm water is water that
flows over land during and immediately after a rainstorm. Pollutants
associated with storm water runoff include sediment, nutrients, heavy
metals, oils, greases, pesticides and bacteria. Without proper treatment
in developed areas, these pollutants in runoff adversely impact the
quality of the receiving water.

Springtime Avenue between Brook Avenue & Stevenson Avenue

The District's New
Water Source Initiative is an aggressive effort to ensure that we
have enough water for the future. Funding and staff time have been
committed to exploring alternative sources such as reused water,
desalination, re-hydrating of wetlands and helping farmers maximize
their water savings.